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Mongabay: Cheetahs return to Malawi after decades

A Cheetah translocated from South Africa is offloaded from the aircraft before being safely transferred to the boma in Liwonde. Photo by African Parks / Frank Weitzer.

The cheetahs have been moved into special enclosures called bomas for now, where the animals will learn to adapt to their new home under constant supervision.

After spending some time in the bomas, the cheetahs will be released into the wider park.

The cheetahs are the first large predator to be reintroduced into Liwonde National Park, and are said to be in good health.

On May 17, conservation non-profit African Parks, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) and Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) flew four African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) from South Africa and reintroduced them to Liwonde National Park in southern Malawi.

The cheetahs have been moved into special enclosures called bomas for now, where the animals will learn to adapt to their new home under constant supervision. After spending some time in the bomas, the cheetahs will be released into the wider park, African Parks said in a statement. The animals are the first large predator to be reintroduced into Liwonde, and are said to be in good health.

“The reintroduction of the cheetah is historic for the country and a new era for the park, where the return of large predators holds great optimism for the restoration of the natural system and the conservation of this highly vulnerable species,” Craig Reid, Liwonde National Park Manager, said in the statement.